La belle Dame sans Merci

Question 1

what does La Belle Dame Sans Merci mean

Answer 1

The beautiful lady without mercy

Question 2

Plot summary:

What is the plot summary?

Answer 2

The poem is about a knight who meets a beautiful lady who charms him.

She takes him to a magical place, but soon leaves him lifeless.

The poem shows how love and beauty can be dangerous.

Question 3

Quotes:

There are 6

1. A a p l
2. T s h w f t l
3. A g f h h a b t
4. I s w w e
5. T l d I e d o t c h s
6. P w t c l b d s m

Answer 3

‘Alone and palely loitering’ - lost and no purpose- contradiction from the depiction of a stereotypical knight.

The sedge has withered from the lake (…) and no birds sing. - Helps to show loss and tragedy - show how evil La Belle is. Pathetic fallacy - the weather matches his mood.

‘A garland for her head and bracelets too’ - symbols of love and passion. could they also symbolise him entrapping her - circle semantic field

‘I shut her wild wild eyes’ - she is otherworldly, why is trying to tame her - patriarchy

‘The latest dream I ever dreamt on the cold hill side’ - dreams are meant to be happy not full of despair - shows extent of La Belle’s villainy

‘Pale warriors (…) they cried La Belle Dame sans Merci’ - masculinity and patriarchy. is the lady the villain. she has done this multiple times.

Question 4

Aspects of tragedy: Tragic victims:

How is the knight the tragic victim?

Answer 4

The poem ends in limbic condition, he is either alive or dead, neither up or down and capable only of relating his story to passers by - no agency.

The knight is a victim of masculinity in society/ the lady’s cruelty.

Question 5

Aspects of tragedy: Tragic villain:

How is the knight the tragic villain?

Answer 5

Keats only allows us to guess at the knights life before his encounter with the lady and hence see at the height that he knight has fallen - could this be due to pride or a trusting blindly.

The knight is a villain in wanting to keep the lady and not letting her go.

Question 6

Aspects of tragedy: Resolution

How can resolution be not seen?

Answer 6

In most dramatic tragedies the resolution is brought about by the deaths of many of the major characters.

However in La Belle the despair s absolute. ‘and nor birds sing’ closes the poem and leaves no room for hope.

Leaves the reader to feel no catharsis.